What is “Lomo Saltado” in English?
In Spanish, “Lomo” means loin. It refers to the cuts of meat used in this recipe, which are typically sirloin or tenderloin (we used sirloin here).
“Saltado” is Spanish for “stir-fry”. Saltar means to jump and is related to the French word, “sauté”, which refers to the pan-cooking style.
Lomo Saltado History
In the mid-1800s, Peru became home to a large number of Chinese immigrants. Since then, the two cultures, South American and Asian, have intermixed and intermingled, creating a richly diverse and unique culture.
Lomo Saltado, a recipe famous in all of Peru, is a perfect representation of this South American-Asian fusion culture. It basically combines native Peruvian ingredients (like tomatoes and cilantro) with the stir-fry cooking techniques and seasoning from Chinese cuisine.
How to make Lomo Saltado
This recipe consists of three main components:
- Steak. The star of this recipe, it calls for using sliced sirloin steak which is then stir fried in a wok and combined with fresh and flavorful ingredients like tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro.
- Rice. Nothing too special here but the rice provides a nice counterbalance to all the flavors from the meat and veggies.
- French fries. These are a must! They can be used to soak up the extra juices from the Lomo Saltado Sauce. In this case, we made crispy homemade fries using our air fryer (which we would highly recommend getting if you haven’t already!). If you’re looking for other delicious air fryer recipes or recommendations on which air fryer to get, look no further! Check out GradFood’s Ultimate Air Fryer Guide.
Variations / Substitutions
- One big split in the community of Lomo Saltado enthusiasts is whether to combine the fries with the meat or serve them separately. We chose to serve separately to keep the fries from getting soggy.
- Although using ají amarillo (a South American orange chili that is slightly sweet but definitely spicy) is the authentic way to make this recipe, it can be hard to find in the states, so feel free to substitute another pepper (habanero, serrano, jalapeno, etc.). We grow our own peppers so we ended up using our serranos.
- Although we used our air fryer to make fresh French fries, if you don’t yet have an air fryer then you can substitute with store-bought fries instead.
Peruvian Lomo Saltado with Air Fryer Fries
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs sirloin steak cut into strips
- 3 tomatoes chopped into wedges
- 1 red onion halved and sliced
- 1 ají amarillo chili minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 bunch green onion cut into ~½ inch pieces
- 1 bunch cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 cups rice
- 2 medium Russet potatoes
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
Instructions
- First, cut the potatoes into square fry shapes (rather than wedges since square will cook more evenly). Soak these in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes to remove starch and then let dry for 15 minutes. Once dried, toss in a bowl with chili powder, onion powder, salt/pepper, and 1 tsp oil. Meanwhile, cook rice. As this is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large wok on medium-high heat with a splash of oil, cook the steak in two batches and set aside in a bowl for later. In the same wok, saute the onions for a minute before adding the garlic, ginger, chili, tomatoes, green onion. Saute for another minute, then add the soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and the steak strips. Saute for one more minute.
- Serve a scoop of the meat with some rice and fries. Note that some recipes call for the fries to be combined with the meat and others call for it on the side. We prefer the latter to prevent the fries from getting soggy.
Notes
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